Keeping the Wheel Straight
by Ale Curtis-Carter
Summary: When Bella chose Edward, Jacob decided to live his life as a wolf. In this story, however, he never comes back. However, Renesmee is the object of Jacob’s imprinting. He’s meant to meet her. So years later, when she's a teenager, Jacob runs into Renesme.


_When Bella chose Edward, Jacob decided to live his life as a wolf. In this story, however, he never comes back for Bella's wedding. All of Breaking Dawn is in tact, except that Jacob is not at all involved. However, Renesmee is the object of Jacob's imprinting. He's meant to meet her. And so, four years later, when Renesmee looks and acts like a teenager, he does._

I sighed as I noticed that what had woken me up had been a bird, miles away. Damn animal senses; picking up on everything. At first, giving myself over completely to the animal within had seemed like a good idea. It was great for a while. Never having to think about why or how or what, just doing what my instincts told me. It couldn't last forever, though. I _was _still human. Or I had been, anyway, and I couldn't just eat, sleep and hunt anymore. It wasn't enough. It was starting to get unbearable, actually. The only human--or semi-human--contact I had was when the rest of the pack, and I tried to block them out completely. There was no other choice. I was just going to have to back to my human self. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. After all, it'd been years since she chose _him_ and I was no where near Forks-- I was in living in Canada now-- anymore. True, that I still missed her like crazy, and it would probably only be worse in my other form, but I needed a break from the wolf life so badly, I'd be willing to deal with that pain.

I prepared my self mentally and morphed back into my human self. Shit. I needed clothes. So I went back to the wolf; at least until I could find something to wear.

"_Hah! I knew it! Pay up, Seth!"_ Leah's annoying voice sang in my head.

"_Wow, Jacob." _Seth thought. _"I mean, I knew there was a chance I'd lost this bet and you wouldn't stay human long, but how about more than two seconds? I could've lost with just a _little_ more dignity."_

"_Shut up."_ I growled. "_I need clothes."_

I went back to ignoring them. Luckily for me, it was about three in the morning, so I was able to snoop around a shopping center I found and look for clothes. It was my lucky day! Outside a Target store was a pair of a black pants and a shirt. I grabbed it, and deciding it would probably be best to wait till morning before changing back into human, I curled up behind a tree and went back to sleep.

When I next awoke, judging by the position of the sun, it seemed to be about ten in the morning or so.

"_So this is it, Jake?" _Seth's thoughts were the first thing I heard.

"_See ya, suckers."_ Was all I thought before I left the wolf form again. It'd been over four years since I'd decided to live permanently as the wolf with nothing but the pack's voices for company. After such a long annoyance, I didn't think any cordial goodbye was necessary. The first thing I needed was money. When I had first decided to leave behind the human life, Billy had told Sam to let me know that he was opening a bank account in my name, just in case, and every month or so he'd been depositing a little into it. So I went straight to the bank. I found there was enough money to rent a small apartment. Good; I'd need one. But first I needed more clothes. So I took enough money for that, and went off to the shopping center I had found last night. I guessed it was the weekend or something because it was swarming with a bunch of teenage girls. Great. My first day back and I'm surrounded by a bunch of high-pitched, shrieking high schoolers.

I walked into the Target I found last night and looked around a bit.

"Excuse me." A girl said, and since there was no one else in the aisle I turned to her.

"Yeah?" I sighed, not bothering to look at her.

"I was wondering how much these sunglasses cost?"

"Do I look like a work here?!" I snapped.

"Uh…yeah…" She said a little taken aback. I looked down. Shit. The clothes I had taken were the Target uniform. Well that explained why they were just lying around outside the store.

"Oh, uh…" I tried to think of an excuse. "I work at a different Target. I don't know, prices are different in different stores." This probably wasn't true.

"Right." She giggled. I couldn't help but notice that she had a really pretty laugh. I turned to face her for the first time and it was my turn to be taken aback. The eyes looked really familiar, but that wasn't it. So this is what Sam and Jared felt like. And I'd always wondered why I'd never imprinted, certain I never would. And just like that, all the pain I'd felt about Bella disappeared.

"Uhm…I'm Jacob." I said, trying to find some reason to keep talking to this girl.

"Nessie." She smiled back. She was gorgeous. What was I going to do?! I had to keep this girl in my life!

"So, you go to Parkland?" She asked.

"Huh?"

"Parkland?" She repeated. "You know, the high school?"

"Oh, uhm, no," I stuttered. I just moved here."

"Oh. _Will_ you be going there?"

"I have to find a place to live first." I muttered to myself.

"You don't have anywhere to live?" She asked, looking worried. She heard me? I thought I had said that to myself.

"Oh, it's not that." I explain. "I mean, I _literally_ just moved here, so I haven't found a place yet."

"Why'd you move here?" She asked.

"Oh, you know…work…" I fabricated. It occurred to me as I made up these excuses that I was allowed to tell her the truth. I'd imprinted on her, and that entitled her to know; but I didn't want to scare her away and making her think I was insane would surely do the trick.

"Oh. Well I'll maybe I'll see you at school then." She turned to go.

"Wait!" I said, a little too loudly. She turned back. "Look, I know it's weird…I mean we just met and all…but…do you want to go to lunch…maybe?"

"Sure." She smiled. It was a miracle!

"Great." I grinned. "Uh, let me just buy this shirt." I had only gotten the shirt and that's all I would take for now. I could come back later for more clothes. I bought the shirt and we walked out of the store. As she walked in front of me, I couldn't stop staring at her. I was so intent on her, and my thoughts were so incredibly absorbed by her and that I tripped on something and twisted my ankle. I heard the bone break. She turned to me, looking horrified.

"Oh my gosh, are you okay?!" She panicked.

"I'm fine." I grimaced. It would heal in a couple of hours.

"Look you have to go the hospital! I'll call an ambulance!" She pulled out a cell phone.

"No, no!" I said hurriedly. That was the last thing I needed. "I hate hospitals." I lied as she stared at me

"Well, then come to my house! I live right across the street! My grandfather's a doctor! Oh, but of course, you can't walk. I'll call him!" She hit a button on her phone.

"Look, I'm really okay!" I protested, but she ignored me.

"Grandpa!" She said into the phone. "I'm with a friend and he just twisted his ankle really bad, can you come help him?!...Okay." Then she turned to me. "My grandfather will be here in like a second. Oh, this is terrible. Can you move it at all?"

"I promise, I'll be fine." I told her. I could already feel the ankle beginning to heal.

"Nessie!" I heard a familiar voice shout. My head snapped up.

"Over here, Grandpa!" And the familiar face that matched the voice came to view, slowing down in shock when he saw me.

"Nessie, go on home and tell your father to get my medical bag in the living room. I'll be right there." He said.

"Okay." She nodded and ran off.

He turned to me.

"Jacob." Carlisle breathed.


End file.
